Jan Janowski
join:2000-06-18
Skokie, IL
 ·AT&T Midwest
edit:
June 1st, @11:17AM
| New Wireless user.... How to: Other wireless channels?
New Wireless user.
Question is regarding other systems... The software that came with wife's Dell Laptop shows the other wireless systems within range, but I thought it would be easier for me to pick a channel by knowing what channels the other systems within range are on, so I don't inadvertantly pick the same channel.... I haven't found a way of doing that yet with existing Dell software... and I've looked in the online manuals.
Here's a picture of what came with the Dell. If it is possible to derive channel info from this, can you explain how?
OR, Is there software available that will do so.
Thanks in advance.....
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SoonerAl
Old Enough To Know Better
Premium,MVM
join:2002-07-23
Norman, OK
edit:
June 1st, @03:06PM
|  
NetStumbler scan |
With that said I could never get NetStumbler to run on a Vista wireless laptop even though my wireless card was supported. The screen shot is from when I was running XP. If you have access to an XP wireless laptop with supported hardware you might look at NetStumbler.
The Vista netsh command may also be of help. See this page and look at the show networks part.
»technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVi···033.mspx
quote:
show networks
Displays a list of wireless networks that are visible on the computer.
Syntax
shownetworks [[interface=]InterfaceName] [[mode=]{ssid|bssid}]
Parameters
Interface
Optional. Specifies for which interface the network information is returned, (where InterfaceName is the name of the wireless interface, as listed in Network Connections, or as rendered by the netsh wlan show interfaces command).
Mode
Optional. Specifies whether to display information for Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), or Service Set Identifier (SSID).
Remarks
Displays the wireless networks available to the computer.
If the interface parameter is specified, only the networks visible to the specified interface are listed. Otherwise, all networks visible to the computer are listed.
If the mode=ssid parameter is specified, then information about each visible SSID is listed.
Displayed SSID information includes:
• Interface name
• Number of visible networks
• Network name, by SSID
• Network type (infrastructure or ad hoc)
• Authentication (Known as "Security type" in the properties of a wireless profile. Security types include WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA-Personal, WEP and Open.)
• Encryption method (examples include Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP)).
• Whether the mode parameter is not specified, only SSIDs are listed.
Displayed SSID information includes:
• Interface name
• Number of visible networks.
• Network name, by SSID
• Network type (infrastructure or ad hoc)
• Authentication (access point - network authentication)
• Encryption method
If the mode=bssid parameter is specified, then information for the visible BSSIDs for each visible SSID is listed.
Displayed BSSID information includes:
• Interface name
• Number of visible networks
• Network name, by SSID
• Network type (infrastructure or ad-hoc)
• Authentication (Known as "Security type" in the properties of a wireless profile. Security types include WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2-Personal, WPA-Enterprise, WPA-Personal, WEP and Open.)
• Encryption method (examples include AES and TKIP)
• BSSID number (for example, 00:54:96:32:06)
• Signal strength (by %)
• Radio type (for example, 802.11b)
• Channel (radio channel number)
Example commands
• show networks interface="Wireless Network Connection"
• show networks mode=bssid
• show networks
Otherwise it may just be trial and error until you find a clear channel.
Others may have a better solution.
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"When all else fails, read the instructions..."
MS-MVP Windows – Desktop User Experience |
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Jan Janowski
join:2000-06-18
Skokie, IL
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to Jan Janowski
I should have read your post in detail...
I can't get netstumbler to work on vista either...
I did get some data from NETSH, but in honesty, it reminded me too much of edlin... and I quickly lost interest...
Hopefully someone has a better idea...
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Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle |
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docrice
join:2008-03-31
Fremont, CA
| Boy, those third-party supplicants...
I don't believe Netstumbler works for Vista, but at the command line you could do:
netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
Keep in mind that a lot of APs decide what channel to operate on based on "least-congested" metrics determined at a given time. Some people switch their APs on and off which kind of changes the dynamics of your localized 802.11 radio soup a bit.
A better and much more powerful tool would be BackTrack as the wlassistant utility will show you channel information, as well as allow you to see the actual packets in the air via monitor mode (possibly the Radiotap information as well). This, of course, assumes that your wireless chipset is supported. |
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jbob
Reach Out and Touch Someone
Premium
join:2004-04-26
Little Rock, AR
 ·Comcast
·AT&T Southwest
edit:
June 3rd, @11:57AM
| reply to Jan Janowski
Jan you might try "Cain and Able"
»www.oxid.it/index.html
I know most of that program will be totally unknown to a new user(me as well) but it is able to show wireless channels used.
There is another utility I was gonna try out. I just installed it to see how it works but see it's limited to a 15 day trial but still make work for what you need. The program is called WifiHopper. It also shows channels used.
»wifihopper.com/
WifiHopper works with Vista too.
Oh and here let me really load you up:
»www.wardrive.net/wardriving/tools/ |
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Jan Janowski
join:2000-06-18
Skokie, IL
·AT&T Midwest
edit:
June 3rd, @12:58PM
| reply to docrice
said by docrice  :at the command line you could do: netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid Actually, this is EXACTLY what I'm looking for!!
Next question... Answered.. see next post!  !
P.S.: I'm the only one with security enabled, and not on channel 6!
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Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle |
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Jan Janowski
join:2000-06-18
Skokie, IL
·AT&T Midwest
edit:
June 3rd, @12:59PM
| reply to Jan Janowski
Create a new shortcut on desktop and set the target as:
cmd.exe /k netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
The /k opens the netsh commands and Keeps it open when finished. ( /c would automatically close after running).
Thanks!!! If anyone has any other scripts in netsh Please post!
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Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle |
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jbob
Reach Out and Touch Someone
Premium
join:2004-04-26
Little Rock, AR
·Comcast
·AT&T Southwest
| reply to Jan Janowski
Also Jan, just for thoughts, what Dell laptop/Wifi hardware is being used? My step daughter just showed up here and she has a Dell Inspiron 1521 running Vista with built-in WiFi and her Dell WLAN WiFi utility shows all the stuff you might be looking for. I can post screen shots if you'd like. |
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Jan Janowski
join:2000-06-18
Skokie, IL
·AT&T Midwest
edit:
June 4th, @08:34AM
| reply to Jan Janowski
I'm not near it, but it's a Dell Inspiron 1720, and according to Dell driver area, (because I checked for updates) it's a Wireless WiFi 4965 AGN wireless card.
EDIT (Just confirmed: Intel Wireless 4965AGN card)
I've checked through the docs, and haven't found much other than the How-To connect.
The netsh script that docrice posted does exactly what I wanted to know.....
But if you can tell me what the name of the Dell supplied program she ran to get that info.... I'd like to know about it. At this point I just may have that program already installed on wife's Dell, but I'd certainly not know about it from the docs.....
Thanks!!!
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Looking for 1939 Indian Motocycle |
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